


Orange Twilight

by kaspbruhk



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Girls Kissing, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Mileven (if you squint), Morning Cuddles, Morning Kisses, Possibly Unrequited Love, Sad Ending (kinda), Short One Shot, Teenage Eleven | Jane Hopper, Teenage Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Unrequited Crush, Young Love, confused Eleven, elmax - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-08 00:42:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20985134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaspbruhk/pseuds/kaspbruhk
Summary: Max and El see each other in the morning light.





	Orange Twilight

**Author's Note:**

> this is dumb and bad and i am sorry :,)  
just a short little something i wanted to write  
also!! please let me know if theres any bad mistakes im tired asf rn

What occurred early one October morning, after one successful Mischief Night, was a long time coming. As the morning drew ever closer with hues of amber and orange bleeding across the violet sky, two girls held tight to each other’s frames. Awake for the moment the sun rose once more, they remained wrapped up in each other, paying little mind to the picture painted outside one’s bedroom window. An evening of drinking lead them here, with bodies pressed flush together, and now that the alcohol had faded from their systems there was little left to say. 

Actions, to Max, spoke louder than words anyways. 

With a delicate hand she grazed her fingers over the cheek of her lover, or friend, watching doe-like eyes peer back at her with a sense of wonder. “_Those eyes_,” Max thought, as heat met freckled cheeks, “_will be the death of me_.” She settled her hand then, cupping the side of Eleven’s face and brushing her thumb tenderly over the other girl’s lips. Eleven, as agonizingly precious as always, smiled at the touch, a breath of a laugh escaping her. Max was confident enough in herself and in her knowledge of El to figure it was a sound made out of giddiness. The redhead smiled and chuckled gently back, as if that was a response.

Silence filled the space between them as both girls found themselves unable to speak, but there was no sense of unease or awkward tension. There was nothing like that between them, feelings like that only existing briefly before their friendship had blossomed. There was no unfamiliarity left to feel in one another’s presence. They didn’t know everything about each other, but they certainly knew enough. Even so, they each craved to know more, unbeknownst to the other.

As sunlight crept through the blinds and into the room, Max stared in awe as the light cast onto Eleven’s back, the other girl outlined in gold and glowing radiantly in her tired eyes. Her gaze became intense then, expression thoughtful and searching as she looked deeply into the eyes of the other. Eleven, a brave sort, cast her view downward for the first time. Max was radiating in her view, red hair like a smoldering ember and blue eyes pools of bright light, it was too much to see- like when staring directly at the sun. She wanted to look back, with the impression of the other girl burnt into her vision, but it almost hurt her to do so.

After what had unfolded between the two of them, Eleven knew in her heart it would be different. When you started kissing people it became different, just like it had with Mike. Her heart sank when she thought of him during moments like this, but Max always proved to be the best distraction. Ever since Eleven had began hanging around her she rarely thought of him; a strange occurrence, considering the boy used to be the only thing on her mind before Max had strolled into the picture. 

Not allowing the other girl to keep her gaze off her for much longer, Max slipped her hand off the other’s cheek. The redhead dared to shuffle closer, breaking the silence with a soft and simple, “Hey.” At the sound of her voice, Eleven couldn’t help but look back. A grin stretched over Max’s freckled features, toothy and full of warmth, before she pressed forward, connecting their lips. A content hum rumbled in Max’s throat as she kissed the other, and El's soft hand moved to her shoulder, bringing her in closer and kissing her back.

It was quick and nothing new, the two having shared many similar throughout the night before, but both heartbeats quickened nonetheless. It deepened momentarily, as Max slipped an arm around Eleven’s waist and pulled her best friend closer, but ended shortly after. She moved back to admire El once more, blue eyes nothing but soft as her gaze danced over the details of the other girl’s face. 

“Max?” Eleven asked finally, the eyes on her becoming a bit too much to bare. The redhead snapped from her trance, taking a sharp breath as heat rose to her cheeks. She glanced away for a moment, only to compose herself.

“Yeah, El?” She responded, eyes trailing back.

“Can I tell Mike you kiss better?” She asked, a cheeky little grin stretching over her face. Max paused and then laughed as she buried her head into the crook of Eleven’s shoulder. Eleven laughed too, and the sound made Max’s heart soar, but her own laughter soon became hollow. The happy sounds died in her throat as she pulled the other as close as she could manage to.

“Uh _duh_,” She replied sarcastically, voice muffled as she spoke directly into the fabric of Eleven’s t-shirt. Although her tone was playful her stomach now churned. Despite the beauty of the moment being shared, Max knew this was fleeting. She was El’s best friend, not her lover, and that was all she was meant to be. Even now Eleven thought of Mike, when Lucas was the farthest thing from Max’s mind. Girls didn’t fall in love with other girls and live happy lives like this one. Moments like these were meant for Mike and Mike alone, and Max knew she should consider herself more than lucky for being able to steal a whole night from him.

El had Mike and Max had Lucas. Even if both pairs were broken up for now, Max knew it would always end up like that. 

“It’s _way_ too early to be up,” Max groaned into El’s shoulder, face tucked securely into her neck, “_And_ we’re going to be up late tonight.” She pulled herself back and propped herself up with a bittersweet smile, the emotion behind it being something Eleven wasn’t able to quite place. The other girl raised her eyebrows in question, catching Max’s odd behavior only briefly before she gave a nod.

“Yeah, too early,” she agreed absentmindedly, big brown eyes filled with awe as she witnessed Max bathe in the morning light. Her hair was like a wreath of flames, ginger waves cascading over and down her freckled shoulders, enveloped in a golden glow. Her ivory skin lit up in the rays of the sun, pale eyes catching the light. Despite her strangely sullen smile, Eleven only had one word on her mind.

“Beautiful,” Eleven whispered softly, only to repeat it, “Beautiful.” 

Max kept her same expression, shaking her head and offering back a single laugh. She kept her head down and gaze focused on the crumpled white sheets beneath them. Hesitantly, after a pause on her behalf, she leaned down to press one last chaste kiss to Eleven’s lips. Max didn’t allow herself to linger; pulling back and turning over to her other side all in one swift motion.

The next minute passed by them slowly, Eleven’s brown eyes concentrating on Max’s back as Max’s blue eyes concentrated on the white door separating her bedroom from the hall. The sound of each other’s breathing kept the room from being silent, but the air around them grew suddenly stiff. Max felt something tighten in her chest, but she naturally ignored it, wanting sleep to finally drag her back into a comfortable darkness. Eleven, on the other hand, felt a bizarre sensation overtake her, experiencing a feeling she wasn’t aware of just yet, but recognizing her urge to hug the girl who laid before her… A realization she was not ready for this moment to end.

After shifting behind her, Max was surprised to feel an arm drape over her waist. She was all the more surprised as a face was pressed into the middle of her back, and the arm around her tightened as the girl behind her cozied up. Eleven’s touch was hot, but nothing near unwelcome.

“_Maybe just having this moment isn’t so bad_,” Max thought.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me @kaspbruhk on tumblr & send an ask to request a short stranger things or it one shot :)  
i'm a big time multishipper with the stranger things kids so pretty much request any pairing (or friendship)!


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